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Chapter 1349: Team

Panda Novel

The current round was Misty Rain’s home game against Team Void. In the 1v1 matches, Misty Rain won one individual round and the group arena afterwards, gaining a lead of 3 to 2. Then, when their formation for the team competition appeared onscreen afterwards, the entire stadium erupted.

Team Wind Howl had created an all DPS formation, but they were smart about it, arranging for their healer to appear in the starting lineup like any normal team. As for if they’d switch their healer out for an all DPS formation, that was something their opponents had to contemplate. They might do a man-to-man offense, but they might do a normal one healer four DPS formation.

However, Misty Rain’s formation didn’t even have a healer in it. This was something that hadn’t happened in the Alliance for who knows how many years, but now it had appeared with Misty Rain, a team which was often considered rather soft.

Were they cutting off all chance of backing down?

Everyone could feel their determination with this lineup.

“How fierce…” Team Void’s captain, Li Xuan, looked over at Misty Rain, where Chu Yunxiu was telling the players of Misty Rain something. This captain, the only female captain in all twenty teams in the Alliance, might truly not have as much hot-blooded passion that was typical of male players, but her dedication to her team didn’t lose to anyone. 　 “But is Misty Rain’s formation really suited to this playstyle?” Wu Yuce looked up at the player lineup on the big screen.

Chu Yunxiu and the Shu sisters, one Elementalist and two Sharpshooters, these three ranged fighters had no problem with DPS, but they lacked CC. Melee classes, even if they didn’t have any control skills, usually had an easier time restricting an opponent’s actions. Could Misty Rain use three ranged fighters to completely pin their opponents?

“Don’t let your guard down,” Li Xuan said. Misty Rain wouldn’t neglect to consider such simple problems. If they still dared to use such a formation, then there must be a reason. After all, didn’t Happy get crushed by Misty Rain’s sudden switch in tactics, despite having a home game advantage? Perhaps Misty Rain was now preparing to use a different strategy every round and hoping to win through catching their opponent’s off-guard.

“It’s time.” After the referee approached to call them over, the players of the two teams entered the stage.

For Void, their starting lineup was comprised of Li Xuan and Wu Yuce’s Ghost Duo, Li Xun’s Assassin, Ge Caijie’s exorcist, Tang Lisheng’s Paladin and their sixth player was Ge Zhaolan’s Spitfire.

How would Void’s typical team arrangement face off against Misty Rain’s extreme?

Currently, Misty Rain’s fans were extremely anxious. Thought they were 32 points away from the current eighth team, but what if they really did achieve a miracle?

Last round, Misty Rain had crushed Happy with their sudden and drastic change in playstyle and rhythm. This round, they had made significant adjustments too, so maybe they would claim victory again? If and only if they continued like that, would their opponents’ mistakes be of use. Perhaps the conditions of the top eight teams would suddenly slide, allowing Misty Rain into the playoffs?

You have to win… 　 All of the audience members in the stadium were all thinking of the same thing, even those players who had given up on their team this season felt the embers of passion flicker to life.

Just maybe, there was still hope?

They hadn’t seen a victory, but they saw Misty Rain’s attitude. This attitude reignited their hope.

The team competition between a Misty Rain with a six DPS formation and Void begun! Unfortunately, this wasn’t the match that had been chosen to be live broadcasted on television, so there was no way of drawing everyone’s immediate attention. The match broadcasted this round was also much anticipated. 　 At Tiny Herb’s home game against Thunderclap, the two sides had reached the team competition.

In the 1v1 matches, Tiny Herb had claimed 4 points and Thunderclap only 1. It was a good lead and should’ve given them a huge morale boost, but when the opponent was Thunderclap, then a lead in the 1v1 matches didn’t mean much for a morale advantage. Thunderclap had always relied on their performance in team competitions to achieve such heights, after all.

In the current round, they were playing their away game against Tiny Herb. How would their team competition end?

Oh… 　 After several rounds of exchanges, Team Tiny Herb’s Wang Jiexi understood what was happening.

So everyone has started to focus on me? It was probably because the match against Happy had given everyone too clear of a message.

If you defeated Wang Jiexi, then you’ve defeated Tiny Herb. That’s probably what everyone believed! So, was that Thunderclap’s current plan as well?

Divide, encircle, reserve Box-1.

Wang Jiexi had noticed Thunderclap’s strategic intentions, but what should he do? Wang Jiexi gazed at the team members at his side. Under his leadership, it was true that Tiny Herb had obtained two championships, but he couldn’t be their pillar forever. Ultimately, he would retire, and the team would have to depend on themselves. 　　 Be a role model instead of a crutch, huh?

Wang Jiexi recalled Ye Xiu’s words. In the past, he really hadn’t considered that much, simply carrying Tiny Herb on his shoulders unthinkingly. Perhaps, it was precisely because of their previous successes that the team had developed such a strong dependence on him.

However, he would eventually be incapable of bearing such a weight, so they had to find a way to break away from this dependence. Gao Yingjie, Gao Yingjie had grown up under his careful attention and protection. The other had gained confidence, but it seemed that he had yet to gather the courage necessary to truly bear the weight of Tiny Herb.

They had to grow under a trying situation! Those who overcome adversity would gain more courage, and their confidence would be fortified. He couldn’t continue to shoulder all their difficulties; he had to leave some for them to overcome on their own.

Yes, just let them deal with it themselves!

Wang Jiexi made this decision, and Vaccaria fell into Thunderclap’s attempt at divide and encircle.

Perhaps he had the ability, the chance to throw off this attempt at dividing them, but this time, he decided to try and brute force his way out of the encirclement and destroy it. Of these two choices, there wasn’t one that was particularly better or worse. Wang Jiexi’s choice had always been to deal with it himself if he could, though. Butnow, he had chosen the latter, depending on the power of the entire team to destroy Thunderclap’s strategic arrangements.

Would it work?

Wang Jiexi didn’t know, but this was a trial, a trial for all the players of Tiny Herb.

Happy had added more chess pieces to hone for the playoffs, Tyranny’s veterans were adjusting their pacing and condition in preparation, and as for Tiny Herb? Tiny Herb had to prepare for the playoffs, and even the future beyond them. They had to change their ways, completely. 　 “Ah… Tiny Herb’s been divided by Thunderclap!” the broadcast commentator Pan Lin cried out in surprise.

“Yeah…” Li Yibo gave a very simple reply. He had a feeling that the reason Thunderclap’s strategy was executed so successfully was because of Wang Jiexi’s choices. If it were the Wang Jiexi of the past, it definitely wouldn’t have been so easy. Perhaps, he would’ve once even managed to crush Thunderclap’s attempt at dividing them with a peak in performance. Yet this time, it felt like he was going with their plan and letting it succeed. What for? To push Tiny Herb as a team? Was it because he didn’t want what happened with Happy to repeat?

No one knew about the words Ye Xiu and Wang Jiexi exchanged post-match, so Li Yibo felt like there was a barrier, preventing him from truly understanding. He had long since developed caution and didn’t dare make a hasty judgement. He needed to continue observing. He thought to the last round where Tiny Herb faced off against Hundred Blossoms and lost their away game 4 to 6. Since that match wasn’t broadcasted on tv, Li Yibo simply checked the post-match report, not bothering to rewatch the match.

Did any specifics happen with Tiny Herb in that match?

Li Yibo didn’t know. After Tiny Herb had lost to Happy, they had fought another four matches. Did they make any adjustments? Li Yibo didn’t know. Since they hadn’t broadcasted any of the four matches, the attention he paid to Tiny Herb had fallen to such lows.

He wasn’t like this before…

Even if he didn’t watch all of the matches, he would at least follow the matches of the powerhouses. Not watching four rounds of matches of a powerhouse like Tiny Herb is something he wouldn’t have even been able to imagine.

Why did it end up like this? Was it because now that Glory was growing in popularity, the number of reports by the media and commentaries also grew in number, making it easier to obtain large amounts of information, so he got lazy?

If he continued like this, then what was the point of his presence?

Never able to see deeper into the match, getting his face slapped all the time, was it fun?

No, not at all! 　 The stockpile of Glory knowledge he had was running out. He had to keep learning, keep up with the pace at which Glory was developing!

The match was still continuing and Li Yibo once again admonished himself for not daring to express his own opinion.

“Ah, Vaccaria’s been surrounded; Thunderclap has focused fire. They’re trying to one wave rush him! They’re keeping Tiny Herb’s healer under careful control. That’s right, their goal is to get rid of Tiny Herb’s captain, Wang Jiexi first,” Pan Lin explained excitedly.

“Tiny Herb’s other members have reacted quickly, coming to Vaccaria’s aid! Can they break through? Thunderclap will probably continue trying to take down Wang Jiexi first! In the match between Happy and Tiny Herb, Team Happy had sacrificed two characters to kill Vaccaria.”

“Huh?! They’ve doubled back, switched targets… Thunderclap has adjusted their offensive, this… They’ve gone back and surrounded the rest of Tiny Herb’s players. Vaccaria has been thrown to one side…”

“This… is isolation! Thunderclap has isolated Wang Jiexi! How to say this… This is probably a reverse of Happy’s strategy. Thunderclap may have realized that they didn’t have the power to finish off Vaccaria quickly, or they thought they might not be able to assure their final victory after the sacrifices needed to get rid of Vaccaria. Thus, in the end, their strategy was isolation! Vaccaria is still on the field, but he’s been cut off from the rest of Tiny Herb. Thunderclap has gone to fight a Tiny Herb without Wang Jiexi, while Wang Jiexi is actually still on the field, right? Coach Li?” Pan Lin gave commentary after commentary and suddenly realized, didn’t it seem a little too quiet over here?

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